Dear Sir:
Why is city council holding out on us? And where and when will Terrace get a second overpass?
These are the questions that have been a burden to the large building on my property at Highway 16 and Kalum Lake Drive ever since it was tagged as one of three sites picked for Terrace’s second overpass.
I have been asking these two questions for several years and again last week when city planner David Block informed me there has been no decisions made to date.
Surely by now the time has come for the planners to do what it takes and come up with these two answers so the business community plus all the new and potential developers can act accordingly. The long wait for the Terrace economy to recover is obviously over. And having Kenworth moving back to its shop in Thornhill appears to be living proof that the logging industry is on the recovery trail.
This in turn will justify a new paint job plus any renovations necessary to the present building to attract new companies to use this property for its original purpose, which was to allow large freight, plus loaded logging trucks to circle the building for service from three different directions as well as provide parking for several units while repairs took place.
The interior is completely lined with white steel sheeting.
As most Terrace people remember in the 1960s, my company, Bob’s Welding and Machine Works Ltd., now Karrer Holdings Ltd., designed and manufactured logging equipment.
It acquired the Hayes truck dealership until approximately 1969 when my company down sized from 28 employees to 12 and built the present day Terrace Steel building.
For six years this property accommodated Columbia Cellulose’s entire logging operations prior to their move to the Kalum reload shop.
Several other companies, Saunders Trucking, Ed Penner Trucking, River Industries, Fountain Tire and Pro-Paints, all served Terrace over the years from this popular corner.
There have been many interested parties recently that have all agreed that if the three-way corner access is disturbed in any way, this 20,000 sq. ft. building will immediately become a detriment to this attractive corner property and therefore demand relocation.
With this in mind it becomes obvious that these two overpass questions are continuing to block my rental and sales opportunities.
I need to know now not next month or next year so I can stop turning away potential customers that I have been waiting years for.
Since the logging industry crashed this property has been in survival mode which forced me to offer all possible floor space for storage.
Kondola’s Furniture has been a valued customer in this regard and will be moving to their new store in a month or so.
This will make this building available soon to anyone interested.
To continue warehouse storage on this major corner would be an insult to the property’s potential as well as the entrance to the city.
With all due respect I would appreciate if the Terrace business community would voice their opinion on this matter for the benefit of all concerned.
R. B. (Bob) Karrer,
Smithers, B.C.